Translation: John [1:1-32]

Here is my translation of the beginning of the Gospel of John [1:1-32] just for shits and giggles. I paid especial attention to the effect that the wording of the original must have had on its contemporary audience. As for the names, well, I saw no reason to de-Judaize the text as so many translators have done. The pronouns in the beginning are, of a linguistic necessity, overspecific. 

In the beginning was the Way, and the Way was with God; and the Way was what God was. It was with God from the beginning. By him all things came to be and not one thing that has come to be did not do so through him. In him was life and that life was the light of humankind. The light shines in the dark, and the dark cannot master it. There came a man, tasked and sent by God, named Yohanan. He came as a witness, to vouch for the light, so that all would trust in him and believe through him. He himself was not the light, but came merely to vouch for the light- the true light that enlightens all people, coming into the world. 

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, but the world did not see what he was. He went amongst his own, but his own people did not accept him. Though to such as did accept him, and did believe in his name, he bestowed the power to become God's children, sired not in blood, nor by desire of the flesh, nor yet desire of a husband, but by God. The Way became flesh and dwelt in our midst. We beheld His glory, a glory such as that of a Father's only Son, replete with favor and truth. Yohanan vouched for him, crying "This was the one I spoke of when I said 'He that comes after me has exceeded me, for he preceded me.'" For from his abundance, we all received favor upon favor. As custom and law were handed down from Moses, so favor and truth came about through Joshua the Messiah. No one has ever beheld God. It is the only Son, in the bosom of the Father, who has demonstrated Him. 

And this is Yohanan's testimony from when the Jews sent chief priests and temple functionaries from Jerusalem to ask him "Who are you?" He confirmed, and did not deny but rather confirmed "I am not the Messiah." They asked him "Well then, what? Are you Elijah?" And he said "I am not." "Are you a prophet, then?" And he answered "no." So they said to him "Well, who are you? Give us an answer to report back to those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?" He said "I am the voice of someone shouting in the desert 'prepare the highway of the Lord' as the prophet Isaiah once said" And those who had been sent were from the Legalist sect. They asked him "What are you doing giving ablutions, if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, and no Prophet" Yohan answered them "I perform ablutions with mere water, but in your midst there is one you do not know- it is he who shall come after me and whose place is ahead of me, and whose very sandal strap I am unworthy to untie." This all happened in Bethany, across Jordan, where Yohanan was giving ablutions.  The next day, he saw Joshua coming and said "Look: the scape-lamb of God who shoulders the sins of this world. This is the one of whom I said 'after me there comes a man who is preferred before me, because he existed before me' I did not know him, but this is why I came abluting with water- so that he might be revealed to all Israel" 

And Yohanan testified further, stating "I saw the Spirit itself descending like a dove from on high, and it alighted on him."

The Original:

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.  οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν.  πάντα δι’ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν. ὃ γέγονεν ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων·  καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν.

 Ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος ἀπεσταλμένος παρὰ θεοῦ, ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ἰωάννης·  οὗτος ἦλθεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός, ἵνα πάντες πιστεύσωσιν δι’ αὐτοῦ.  οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖνος τὸ φῶς, ἀλλ’ ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός.  ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον.

 Ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν, καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι’ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω.  εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἦλθεν, καὶ οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸν οὐ παρέλαβον.  ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτόν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα θεοῦ γενέσθαι, τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ,  οἳ οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος σαρκὸς οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος ἀνδρὸς ἀλλ’ ἐκ θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν.

 Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας·  (Ἰωάννης μαρτυρεῖ περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ κέκραγεν λέγων· Οὗτος ἦν ὃν εἶπον· Ὁ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν, ὅτι πρῶτός μου ἦν·)  ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν, καὶ χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος·  ὅτι ὁ νόμος διὰ Μωϋσέως ἐδόθη, ἡ χάρις καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐγένετο.  θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε· μονογενὴς θεὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο.

 Καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ μαρτυρία τοῦ Ἰωάννου ὅτε ἀπέστειλαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐξ Ἱεροσολύμων ἱερεῖς καὶ Λευίτας ἵνα ἐρωτήσωσιν αὐτόν· Σὺ τίς εἶ;  καὶ ὡμολόγησεν καὶ οὐκ ἠρνήσατο, καὶ ὡμολόγησεν ὅτι Ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμὶ ὁ χριστός.  καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτόν· Τί οὖν; σὺ Ἠλίας εἶ; καὶ λέγει· Οὐκ εἰμί. Ὁ προφήτης εἶ σύ; καὶ ἀπεκρίθη· Οὔ.  εἶπαν οὖν αὐτῷ· Τίς εἶ; ἵνα ἀπόκρισιν δῶμεν τοῖς πέμψασιν ἡμᾶς· τί λέγεις περὶ σεαυτοῦ;  ἔφη· Ἐγὼ φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· Εὐθύνατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, καθὼς εἶπεν Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης.

 Καὶ ἀπεσταλμένοι ἦσαν ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων.  καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτὸν καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· Τί οὖν βαπτίζεις εἰ σὺ οὐκ εἶ ὁ χριστὸς οὐδὲ Ἠλίας οὐδὲ ὁ προφήτης;  ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰωάννης λέγων· Ἐγὼ βαπτίζω ἐν ὕδατι· μέσος ὑμῶν ἕστηκεν ὃν ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε,  ὁ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἄξιος ἵνα λύσω αὐτοῦ τὸν ἱμάντα τοῦ ὑποδήματος.  ταῦτα ἐν Βηθανίᾳ ἐγένετο πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, ὅπου ἦν ὁ Ἰωάννης βαπτίζων.

 Τῇ ἐπαύριον βλέπει τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐρχόμενον πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ λέγει· Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου.  οὗτός ἐστιν ὑπὲρ οὗ ἐγὼ εἶπον· Ὀπίσω μου ἔρχεται ἀνὴρ ὃς ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν, ὅτι πρῶτός μου ἦν·  κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν, ἀλλ’ ἵνα φανερωθῇ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ διὰ τοῦτο ἦλθον ἐγὼ ἐν ὕδατι βαπτίζων.  καὶ ἐμαρτύρησεν Ἰωάννης λέγων ὅτι Τεθέαμαι τὸ πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον ὡς περιστερὰν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐπ’ αὐτόν·